After 16 years at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Late Night with Conan O’Brien is moving to L.A. TIME looks back at the entertainer’s most memorable characters, guests and zingers
With his brief, star-crossed tenure as host of the Tonight Show winding down, Conan O’Brien adopted a new mission for his late-night program: doing “comedy bits that aren’t so much funny as they are crazy expensive.” During his penultimate episode, Conan introduced a guest that truly fit the bill: 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, sporting a mink Snuggie. After parking the pricey thoroughbred in front of a TV to watch “restricted Super Bowl coverage,” Conan told the assembled crowd that the acquisition had cost NBC $4.8 million — a fraction of his exit package, which is said to be as high as $45 million, but certainly enough to make Jeff Zucker & Co. squirm. At least the horse comes with stud rights.